The Image Of Church

Originally uploaded by Roothie

The place where my office is based/rented is in the lower level of a very run down church. It makes me sad when a church gets to this state of disrepair. In a weird twist of events I am working in the location that was my Mum's family church for many years when she was younger. My Grandparents were married here and served faithfully through the uniformed organisations for many years. (and, if I know my Grandma well enough she would have run around serving in all kinds of other ways too!) Now the congregation is very small and relies on a small group of people to keep the premises clean and maintained. When my Grandma returned for a centenary event she described the church as a shell of its former self.

I have to walk through the church sanctuary each day to get the post and every day something new stands out to me. I used to go to a very sleepy Methodist church when I was little and the things I see each day at this church take me back twenty years!! PGBC has decorative organ pipes, faded hymn books, a pulpit bible bound with parcel tape, home-made jam for sale (that is now out of date), a box for used stamps with the proceeds going to BMS, hymn and bible reading number boards, out of date church magazines, plastic flowers etc. All that is missing seems to be a tin foil collection for the blind. (something from my childhood that I never understood how it could be exchanged for money!)

Is this the sleepy image of church that non-believers have? I am not saying that these things are necessarily bad, but it does put an 'old-fashioned' date on things in my opinion.

Back in January I took these photos but have never got around to doing anything with them. The set can be found on my flickr page.